TMDL DevelopmentUpper Kanawha River Watershed

August 18, 2011

WV DEP Dave Montali

Agenda

Background information on Water Quality Standards, impaired waters and TMDLs

Overview of WVDEP’s TMDL process Discussion of local impaired waters and the

timelines for two TMDL Projects Overview of Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plans

Discussion – Free form questions and answers

What’s a TMDL? “Total Maximum Daily Load” – How

much pollutant a stream can receive and remain healthy

TMDL development is required by Clean Water Act for all impaired streams

TMDL is a pollution budget – prescribes reduction of pollutants that result in the restoration of an impaired stream

What’s an impaired stream?

Stream that doesn’t meet water quality standards West Virginia Water Quality Standards are

codified at 47 CSR 2 Standards include designated uses for WV waters

and water quality criteria to protect those uses Criteria can be numeric or narrative Impaired streams (streams that are not meeting

criteria) are on the 303(d) List

Criteria Examples

Aquatic Life Protection Total Iron

1.5 mg/l as a 4- day average concentration (warmwater fisheries)

0.5 mg/l as a 4 day average concentration (troutwaters)

Not to be exceeded more than once every 3 years

Numeric Criteria Examples

Human Health Protection Fecal Coliform bacteria (Water Contact)

200 counts/100ml as a monthly geometric meanno more than 10% of samples in a month can

exceed 400 counts/100ml

Narrative Criteria Example

Biological ImpairmentConditions Not Allowable in State Waters (47 CSR 2-3.2i) “.....no significant adverse impact to

the chemical, physical, hydrologic or biological components of aquatic ecosystems shall be allowed.”

Benthic macroinvertebrate assessmentWest Virginia Stream Condition Index (WVSCI)

WVSCI Standardized method for assessing benthic

macroinvertebrates WVSCI stream scores are normalized to 0 - 100 range Streams scoring less than the 60.6 threshold value

are labeled as “impaired” and placed on the 303(d) list

“Biologically Impaired” streams are evaluated for source/s of impairment during the TMDL development process (Stressor Identification Process)

Upper Kanawha Impairments

• Biological Integrity• Aluminum• Manganese• Selenium• Chloride• Fecal Coliform• pH• Iron

Upper Kanawha TMDL Projects

• “A3” TMDLs– Standard Process– Third effort in

Hydrologic Group A– TMDLs to be

completed December 2014

• Ionic Stress TMDLs– Special project addressing

legacy biological impairments

– Stressor Identification in 2004 TMDL project identified ionic stress as significant

– TMDLs to be completed Summer 2012

A3 TMDLs

WVDEP TMDL Process

Stream Selection Pre-TMDL monitoring, source identification and

characterization Contract to model water quality and hydrology Allocation Report development Finalization

• Synchronized with WV Watershed Management Framework

• 48 month process (Stream selection – EPA approval)

• Multiple opportunities for public outreach/stakeholder input

• New Pre-TMDL water quality monitoring• Source identification and characterization

Process Highlights

Watershed Management Framework

32 watersheds (8-digit HUC)

5 Hydrologic Groups (A – E)

Geographical way to organize water resource management – Within DEP, watershed assessment, NPDES Permit reissuance and nonpoint source project funding synchronized

WVDEP TMDL development synchronized

TMDL Development Stream Selection Process

• Each year DEP plans TMDL projects in specific watershed(s) based upon Hydrologic Group

• TMDL projects beginning in 2011 in HGA• HGA candidate watersheds = Cheat,

Shenandoah Jefferson, Shenandoah Hardy, South Branch Potomac, Upper Kanawha, Upper Ohio North and Youghiogheny

• Plans public noticed/comments accepted (March 17 – April 15, 2010)

A3 303(d) Listed Impairments

A3 TMDL Timeline Stream selection completed Spring 2011 Monitoring plan developed Spring 2011 Public Outreach (TMDL 101) - Tonight Monitoring and Source Tracking 7/11 – 6/12 Modeling/ Report Development – Fall 2012 –

Summer 2014 Public Outreach (Status Update) Winter 2013 Public Outreach (PN/PC on Draft TMDLs) –

Summer 2014 EPA review and approval by December 31, 2014

Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan

Goal – to generate robust/ recent data to: Make accurate impairment assessments Calibrate watershed models Quantify the impacts of significant pollutant

sources

Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan

• Many sampling sites – monthly chemistry, one habitat and biological assessment, flow monitoring

• Pre-TMDL monitoring may identify additional impairments

• The project will attempt to develop TMDLs for all identified impairments

• Map available on DEP website and GIS shapefile available upon request

Source Tracking Efforts Abandoned Mine Lands Limits of POTW collection systems AFOs, Livestock counts Riparian zone condition Unmapped road density Qualitative assessment of sediment sources Active NPDES Point Source Info

Ionic Stress Project 303(d) Listings

Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan

See handouts – detailed map on DEP webpageImpairments/potential impairments being

evaluated: Biological IntegrityDissolved Aluminum, Total Manganese, pHTotal Selenium301 sites on 244 streams

GIS coverage available upon request

Pre-TMDL Monitoring Plan

Monitoring period = July 11 – June 12 Sampling frequency

Benthic macroinvertebrates - during index period (Apr – Oct)

Habitat evaluations (RBP) 1/Month for water chemistry parameters pH, D.O., Specific Conductance, Temp. Sampling will include flow measurement at

select locations

Stakeholder Input

General comments regarding plan’s adequacy in addressing goals

Does the plan provide for monitoring of particularly bad or good streams that you know about?

Does the plan provide monitoring sufficient to characterize significant pollutant sources?

Do you have water quality data to contribute?

WVDEP Contact Information Contact: Steve Young –

Stephen.A.Young@wv.gov Tele: (304) 926-0499 Ext 1042; FAX: (304) 926-0496 601 57th Street SE, Charleston WV 25304

www.wvdep.org Select Water and Waste Home On left select Watershed Management, click on “

Total Maximum Daily Load”

Questions???